CTO and Co-founder @siriusai
San Francisco
Joined September 2017
- Tweets242
- Following133
- Followers115
- Likes552
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I know I almost never post on here, so I figured I should probably introduce myself properly.
I’m Benazir. I’m originally from Kazakhstan, lived in China for a while, and I’ve been in San Francisco for the past two years.
My path into tech was a little unusual.
I got a scholarship to Beijing Institute of Technology at 15, graduated in Computer Science at 19 with a 4.0, and somehow ended up working in the industry way earlier than I expected.
Before coming to SF, I worked at Momenta on autonomous driving, at Taobao on recommendation and visual search, and at Tencent on large-scale AI systems. A lot of users, a lot of data, and very little room for things to break.
Fun fact: I also became the first woman from Kazakhstan to earn Apple’s certification as a programming instructor.
Now I’m the Co-founder/CTO at @siriusai (back by @speedrun)
We’re building AI for customer retention and customer experience, so I spend most of my time thinking about why people leave, what makes them stay, and how software can make better decisions around both.
Outside of that, I’m still exploring San Francisco, finding good food, and meeting a lot of very interesting people along the way.
Figured this was a good time to finally say hi :)
Benazir retweeted
Your AI agent can find anyone on the internet. It has no idea who can actually get you to them.
Until now.
Meet Gigi: the trusted network that gives agents access to people.
That investor you've been dying to meet. The engineer you'd hire tomorrow. The dream customer you can't get in front of. Chances are, someone in your extended network knows them. Gigi finds out who.
Your agent can now search your network, ask the agents of people you trust to search theirs, and find real warm paths to the people you want to reach.
All without exposing anyone's contacts. And without reading a single email or message.
Your network is no longer who you know. It's who your agent can get you to.
Think of one person you wish you knew. Ask Gigi to find your way in. Link in the comments👇
Benazir retweeted
hey all - update for SR008:
It's now the FINAL weekend to apply for our next residency in San Francisco. Applications close this Sunday, Nov 1 at 11:59 PM PT.
Here's the link:
speedrun.a16z.com/apply
How it works:
- you apply
- we review, reach out to get introduced, etc
- if there's a fit, we handshake and sign
- we wire our investment right away!
- plus you get access to >$10M in credits right away
- you'll onboard + start working with us immediately, have access to working out of our SF offices, etc
The official residency starts Feb 2027 where we'll have speakers, office hours, and much more. I plan to be on site and look forward to meeting many of you
You might ask- who's the best fit for this? We want to talk to you as early as possible, and that means:
- no company yet
- no deck
- no huge insight tweet thread
- sometimes not even fully committed yet
You don't need the perfect idea. We can start working together when you're iterating and getting the idea off the ground. That's the whole point of speedrun - it's our way of backing you from Day 0.
More official stuff below:
- Deadline is this Sunday, Nov 1 at 11:59 PM PT (this weekend!)
- SR008 runs Feb 1 through April 18, 2027 in San Francisco -- twelve weeks of firesides, office hours, and sessions, closing out with Demo Day on April 13 in front of thousands of investors
- Capital: up to $1M with a two-week close target, plus $10M+ in credits from 200+ partners
- Customers: SR Insiders gets you in front of 10,000+ buyers and operators, including 150+ C-suite execs, plus a full day of live demos at AI Faire
- Talent: our Talent Network of 171,000+ engineers, designers, and product people. 230+ hires so far, $0 in fees. Plus visa, banking, and housing help if you're coming from abroad
- A team of ~40 battle-tested investors and operators who help cover your gaps without adding headcount -- GTM, marketing, brand, talent, fundraising, and more
- a16z speedrun is super selective -- fewer than 0.4% of applicants get in. You'll join a tight-knit community of founders from 20+ countries who stay involved as speakers, advisors, and often each other's first customers
- Still in school or still finding your idea/team? Check out the alpha fellowship too -- up to $250K for students, recent grads, and dropouts
if you need feedback on application for a16z Speedrun:
a16z @speedrun SR008 applications are open! 🚀
Speedrun has been incredibly valuable for us at @siriusai, and I want to pay it forward.
We're picking one startup to get direct pitch feedback from me and the founding Sirius team, plus a direct intro to the a16z Speedrun team.
Building something exciting? Or know someone who is?
Comment "Speedrun" or tag a founder who should apply.
1-minute application form in the comments 👇
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Benazir retweeted
a16z @speedrun SR008 applications are open! 🚀
Speedrun has been incredibly valuable for us at @siriusai, and I want to pay it forward.
We're picking one startup to get direct pitch feedback from me and the founding Sirius team, plus a direct intro to the a16z Speedrun team.
Building something exciting? Or know someone who is?
Comment "Speedrun" or tag a founder who should apply.
1-minute application form in the comments 👇
Benazir retweeted
AI slop isn't just tacky and uninspired. It can get you sued.
Generating fake AI faces that resemble real people, or using someone's likeness without permission, is creating new legal and reputational risks for brands.
So we built @mirrormirror_ai as part of a16z @speedrun, a marketplace where brands can digitally book real models and creators to generate AI content using their likeness, with their permission.
Brands browse and book identity-verified talent, agree on usage rights, and generate content within those terms. Every approved image comes with a signed license and embedded provenance.
We're seeing brands produce lookbooks and campaign visuals up to 10x faster, with up to 90% cost savings. Meanwhile, models and creators can earn additional income from their digital likeness without having to show up for another shoot.
Everyone is racing to make AI generation faster, cheaper, and more realistic. But there's still a huge missing piece: how do you license the rights to the people appearing in AI-generated content at scale?
That's why I'm excited about what we're building. Not just another AI generator, but the licensing and rights infrastructure for AI-generated content.
mirrormirrorai.com/
AI models on scale!!
AI slop isn't just tacky and uninspired. It can get you sued.
Generating fake AI faces that resemble real people, or using someone's likeness without permission, is creating new legal and reputational risks for brands.
So we built @mirrormirror_ai as part of a16z @speedrun, a marketplace where brands can digitally book real models and creators to generate AI content using their likeness, with their permission.
Brands browse and book identity-verified talent, agree on usage rights, and generate content within those terms. Every approved image comes with a signed license and embedded provenance.
We're seeing brands produce lookbooks and campaign visuals up to 10x faster, with up to 90% cost savings. Meanwhile, models and creators can earn additional income from their digital likeness without having to show up for another shoot.
Everyone is racing to make AI generation faster, cheaper, and more realistic. But there's still a huge missing piece: how do you license the rights to the people appearing in AI-generated content at scale?
That's why I'm excited about what we're building. Not just another AI generator, but the licensing and rights infrastructure for AI-generated content.
mirrormirrorai.com/
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Benazir retweeted
Pretty cool way to start the day.
@a16z featured @siriusai in their latest roundup of breakout startups hiring, with @benaziration and me on the cover.
We’ve grown a lot over the past year, and we’re continuing to build out the team in San Francisco.
Right now, we’re hiring a Founding Events & Partnerships Lead to help us with the next stage of Sirius.
A lot more to come.
Thanks to the @a16z team for the feature, and if you’re interested in joining us, reach out!
so excited to be presenting @siriusai with @ChiefSnack at a16z @speedrun's invite-only AI Faire during SF Tech Week!!
Azamat and I will be presenting and our @siriusai team will be there with us too
october 9 in SF. can’t wait to meet everyone :)
DM me if you want an invite!
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i was 16 in this photo.
at the time, i was the youngest software engineer at Momenta and the youngest speaker on this panel.
i remember looking around at people i had genuinely looked up to for years and realizing i wasn’t just in the room with them anymore.
i was on stage speaking alongside them.that moment changed the way i thought about being “ready.”
you rarely feel ready before the biggest opportunities in your life.
sometimes you have to step into the room before you feel qualified, learn faster than everyone expects, and trust that you have something worth contributing.
i still carry that mindset with me today building @siriusai.
being young, early, or inexperienced doesn’t mean you have to wait.
sometimes it just means you have more room to grow.
Benazir retweeted
so excited to finally share that i’m joining @siriusai as a Growth Engineer.
@siriusai is building AI-powered retention infrastructure for subscription businesses, helping companies understand why customers leave and take smarter action to keep them.
we’re backed by a16z @speedrun and working with some of the fastest-growing companies in tech, so there’s a lot happening very quickly.
i’m really excited for this next chapter, to learn a ton, work with an amazing team, and help grow what we’re building.
you’re definitely going to be seeing a lot more from me.
AI is making it dramatically easier to build software
it is not making it easier to know what should be built
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the difference between a demo and a product is everything that happens after the demo works once
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I was 16 in this photo.
Back then, I had no idea where life would take me, but I already knew I loved learning, building things, and taking on challenges that felt a little bigger than me.
Since then, life has taken me across countries, cities, and a lot of very different problems to solve.
Still one of my favorite old photos.
Funny how much can change, and how much stays the same.
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This is gonna be such a fun one, can’t wait to see everyone there!
Who’s the best poker player in SF?
Announcing the @siriusai x @MonacoGTM Poker Tournament for SF Tech Week.
On October 8, we’re taking over The Foundry and bringing together CEOs, founders, investors, celebrity guests, and poker pros who’ve competed in the @WSOP Main Event.
This is going to be one of the best events in San Francisco.
Think you should be there? Reply “Sirius.”
Know someone who should? Tag them.
October 8. The Foundry. San Francisco.
@Techweek_
#SFTechWeek
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